Cylinder construction



` F. BALZER CYLINDER CONSTRUCTION Mar ch 29, 1927. ,1,622,275

Filed Nov.14, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 197. 4 March 29, a F' BALZERCYLINDER CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov.14, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar.29, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRITZ BALZEB, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO TROY LAUNDRY MACHINERYCO., LTD., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CYLINDER CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed November 14, 1923. Serial No. 674,633.

The present invention relates to cylinder construction.

More particularly, the present invention relates to rotary cylinderssuch as are used in washing machines. It is common practice to buildwashing m'achines with an outer Shell or easing which encloses a rotarycylinder, which cylinder contains the goods to be washed. Such cylindersare ordinarily provided with baffles located on the, inside of saidcylinders, which baflles perform the function of tumblin'g the goodsabout-as the cylinder is rotated.

An object of the present invention is to a provide a washing machinecylinder which may be made of a minimum of parts and which will haveimproved sturdiness over cylinders as now known and used.

A further object is to provide a cylinder construction in which thebaflles above re-. ferred to cooperate with the remaining parts of thecylinder to provide a very sturdy structure.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder Whichis cheap to manufacture, sturdy in construction, and which contains aminimum of parts.

Further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

Referring to the drawings- Figure lis a view in side elevation of awashing machine cylinder.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the plane indicated by thearrows 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectiona'l View taken along the plane indicated by thearrows 3-3, which arrows appear in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the plane indicated by thearrows 4 4 of Figure 2; and r Figure 5 is a sectional view taken alongthe plane indicated by the arrows 5-5 of Figure 1. V

The numeral 1 indicates as a whole a washing machine cylinder providedwith trunnions 2, 2, at the ends thereof; Said trunnions are mounted' inbearings, not shown, and in operation the cylinder 1 will be rotatablymounted within an enclosing easing, not shown. Said trunnions 2, 2, arepart of or united to the end walls 3, 3, of the cylinder.

According to the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, thecylinder 1 is.,

provided with a strengthening transverse partition 4 midway of itslength. The end walls 3, 3, are provided with abutment means or bosses5, 5, disposed near the periphery of said members 3, 3. The conformationof said bosses, as viewed longitudi- The bosses 5, 5, of one end wall 3are dis-` posed in longitudinal alignment with and are ofsubstantiallythe same configuration as the bosses on 'the opposite endwall. Said bosses provide supporting means for the sheet metal members6, 6, Which members provide a cylindrical wall for the cylinder 1.

Each of the sheet metal members 6, 6, is provided with a bowed portionnear one of its circumferential extremities, which bowed portion isindicated by the numeral 7. Each member 6 (except one, as indicated,which is cut away to provide an opening for a door) also comprises anextended ortion 8 which is of arcuate form having ts arcuate axiscoincident with the axis of rotation of the trunnions 2, 2, and which isprovided with a plurality of apertures for the ingress and egress ofwashing medium. The bowed portion 7 of each of the members 6, 6,conforms to the outline of a corresponding pair of bosses 5, 5. Saidbowed portion of each member 6 may be connected to the end walls 3. 3,and a partition 4 by means of angles 9, Which angles may be secured byrivets or other preferred fastening means. The grooves provided by thebowed portions 7, 7

of the members 6, 6, may be covered by are indicated by the numerals 11.11, the door at the right-hand side of partition 4 in 'ing the upperright and upper left portions of the cylinder, as viewed in Figure 2,have a shorter radius than do the other arcuate portions 8, 8. Thisconstruction is preferred for the purpose of providing space for thesliding doors 11, 11. Each ot said doors 11, as noted above, rides ingrooves located at each end of said door, certain of which grooves areindicated in Figures 3 and 4 by the numeral 11 The band 12 encirclingthe cylinder 1 provides the outer boundaries of said grooves ll 11 whilethe arcuate members 12 and 12 provide the inner boundaries of saidgrooves. The groove at each end of the cylinder (see the construction atthe upper left-hand portion of Figure 1) is provided by the portion 12ot' the corresponding end wall 3 and the corresponding rib mask 12. Asnoted above, the door 11 at the right-hand side of the partition 4 isshown in open position, for which reason said door 11 appears in sectionin Figure 3. Inasmuch as the door at the right-hand side of partition -tis shown in open position, said door does not appear in Figure 3. Forlike reasons the left-hand door 11 does not appear in Figure 4, but theright-hand door 11 does appear in section in said Figure 4.

Each door 11 is of arcuate form and is provided with a pocket 13 whichcarries one or more locks 14. Each lock 14 is provided with a slidingbolt 15 adapted to have a movement parallel with the axis of rotation ofthe cylinder. Each of said bolts 15 is operated bv a handle 16 which isadapted to have a roching movement toward and away from the periphery ofthe cylinder 1. T he bolt io. when the door 11 is in closed position,may iit Within a coi rcsponding aperture in one of the end walls 3, 3,depending upon the location of the corresponding lock 142, Whereby tohold it's door 11 against opening movement. At such times that a door isopen, the belts 15, 15 thereon will not register with any aperture ofsufiicient depth to permit their handles 16, 16 to move to a positionWithin the overall dimensions of the cylinder 1. By reason of thisconstruction, the handles 16, 16 Will be held in protruding ,position atsuch times that their corresponding door 11 is open, so that thecylinder 1 will not be inadvertently set in notion with the doonopen,inasmuch as the protruding handles 16, 16, will not permit operation ofthe correspondng door of the enclosing Shell or easing, not shown. Thiseasure feature is not claimed in the present application, but isincluded in another application by the present applicant, i

It Will be clear Without detailed explanation that When the cylinder 1is in operation and is being rotated on the trunnions 2, 2, the goodswithin the cylinder will be tumbled about in contact with the insidewalls of the cylinder, including the baffies provided by the bowedportions 7 7, of the Sheet metal members 6, 6. Stresses of considerableforce are imposed upon said baflies, but according to the presentinvention such stresses are communicated directlv to the bosses 5, 5, ofthe end walls 3, 3, and part-ition 4, which are Well adapted to take thestresses referred to. By reason of the present invention, a minimum ofparts are required, inasmuch as each of the sheet metal nembers 6, 6,performs the double function of providing cylinder wall construction asWell as baflie construction. The members 6, 6, are rigidly united to theend walls 3, 3, and partition 4, in a simple manner so that the cost ofmanutacture will be reduced materially over present construction, andsturdine'ss will be greatly improved.

While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been describedin detail, it will be clear that many modifications will occur to thoseskilled in the art. It: is intended in this patent to cover all suchmodifications Which fall Within the scope of the invention as defined bythe appended claims.

l claim:

1. Cylinder construction comprising supporting members provided Withintegral aligned abutments and a plurality of Sheet metal memberscarried by said abutments and shaped to conform to the abutments uponsaid supporting members, said sheet metal members conprising thecylindrical wall of said cylinder construction, each of said sheet metalmembers being mounted to extend from one set of abutnents to andconformed over the next set of abutments.

2. Cylinder construction comprising a pair ot' supporting membersprovided with integral abutnent members, the abutment members of one ofsaid supporting members being arranged in pairs relative to theabutments of the other of said supporting members, a plurality of Sheetmetal sections arranged peripherally of said cylinder construction, eachof said sheet metal Sections having a portion conforming to saidabutments and extending inwardly' of said cylinder construction andextending to the next pair of abutments, and means for securing saidsheet metal sections to said abutments and to said supporting members.

'3. Cylinder construction comprising a plurality of Sheet metal membersof arcuate form, means forconneeting together said Sheet metal membersto form 'a cylinder, a dinally and radially of said cylinder, saidcircumferentially sliding door for said cylsupporting members beingprovided with inder, one of said Sheet metal members being abutmentmeans, said bowed portions being of less radius than the remainder ofsaid connected to said -abutment means in a posi- 15 5 sheet metalmembers to provide space for the tion to communicate to 'said abutmentmeans movement of said door and guide means for stresses directedcircumfe'rentiallyv of said said door, said Connecting meanscompriscylinder. insrelatively sturdy members lying in planes Signed atEast Moline, Illinois, this 7th su tantially normal to the axs of sadcyldav of November, 1923.

10 inder construction, said Sheet metal members having bowed portionsextending longitub FRITZ BALZER.

